Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: Mbappé’s late winner ends Barcelona’s perfect league start in Mourinho’s first Clásico back
SportPulses Desk··6 min
Kylian Mbappé scored twice, including an 87th-minute winner set up by Bellingham and Camavinga, as Real Madrid won at Camp Nou for the first time in three years and cut Barcelona’s lead to three points.
Key points
- Real Madrid won 2-1 at Camp Nou on 25 October, with Kylian Mbappé scoring in the 41st and 87th minutes.
- Raphinha equalised for Barcelona in the 61st minute; it was Barcelona’s first league defeat of the season.
- Barcelona stay top on 27 points, Atlético Madrid are two behind and Real Madrid three behind.
Real Madrid won the first league Clásico of the 2026-27 season 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October. Kylian Mbappé scored in the 41st and 87th minutes either side of a Raphinha equaliser, ending Barcelona’s run of nine straight LaLiga wins and giving José Mourinho victory in his first Clásico since returning to the Bernabéu.
How the goals went in
Barcelona had the better of the first half, with 59% of the ball and nine shots to Madrid’s six before the break, and Joan García and Andriy Lunin both made early saves. Madrid’s opener was untidy. Yan Diomandé crossed from the left, Gerard Martín’s clearance struck Mbappé, and the ball went in for 0-1 in the 41st minute.
Barcelona levelled in the 61st minute when Pedri’s reverse pass found Raphinha, whose quick shot beat Lunin despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it. Five minutes later Lunin kept Madrid level with a strong save from Martín’s header from a corner, and Lamine Yamal’s shot in the 78th minute bounced just wide.
The winner came three minutes from time. Jude Bellingham beat his man on the edge of the area, substitute Eduardo Camavinga cut the ball back, and Mbappé finished. Mourinho celebrated by sliding on his knees in front of the away bench.
Lineups and changes
Mourinho played a 4-4-2 with Lunin in goal and Mbappé and Diomandé up front, without the suspended Vinícius Júnior. Barcelona started with Joan García; Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín and João Cancelo in defence; Pedri, Rodri and Fermín López in midfield; and Yamal, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon in attack. Espart went off injured after 31 minutes and was replaced by Alejandro Balde, and Federico Valverde left Madrid’s side with discomfort just after the hour. Camavinga came on in the 80th minute and set up the winner seven minutes later.
What the result means
Barcelona stay top of LaLiga on 27 points, but the gap has narrowed. Atlético Madrid are second, two points behind, and Real Madrid are third, three behind. It is Barcelona’s second defeat in five days after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to PSG in the Champions League, and their first in the league this season. It was also Real Madrid’s first win in Barcelona in three years, and their fifth win in a row in all competitions.
For Mourinho, this is the statement game of his second spell. Madrid had lost six of their previous seven Clásicos, and they won this one without Vinícius, Rodrygo or Ferland Mendy, with a summer signing, Diomandé, involved in the first goal and two substitutes in the second. For Barcelona, the concern is the injury list: Espart joins Dani Olmo, Eric García, Andreas Christensen and Jules Koundé among the players who are injured or doubtful.
Mbappé on the eve of the Ballon d’Or
The timing is notable. The 2026 Ballon d’Or is presented in London on Monday night, and Mbappé is one of the leading candidates along with Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal. Voting closed on 28 September, so Sunday’s game cannot change the result, but it was a reminder of what Mbappé’s case is built on: goals in the biggest games.
What’s next
Both clubs return to the Champions League on 3 and 4 November: Barcelona host Aston Villa on Tuesday, and Real Madrid visit AEK Athens on Wednesday. Follow the live LaLiga table and every Champions League result on SportPulses.
